Fractional vs. Full-Time CFO Cost Calculator (Houston, 2026)

Plug in your own numbers or keep our Houston defaults. The full-time side uses public federal salary and benefits data; the fractional side uses the monthly fee you enter, so you can compare real quotes.

Full-time CFO

Annual base salary Default: Houston mean for financial managers, $186,560 (BLS, May 2025) Bonus (% of salary) Your assumption. Many executive roles include one. Benefits and payroll taxes (% of salary) Default 46%, based on BLS: benefits are 31.5% of total pay for full-time private-sector workers One-time recruiting cost ($) Your assumption. Recruiter fees are often a percentage of first-year salary. Set to 0 if you'll hire directly.

Fractional CFO

Monthly fee ($) Enter a quote, or try a range. Houston firms that publish prices start anywhere from $650/month (bundled with bookkeeping) to $6,000+/month (dedicated senior CFO). Months per year 12 for an ongoing engagement, fewer for a project

Enter positive numbers in every field.

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How the calculator works

Full-time cost = base salary + bonus + benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting is shown separately as a first-year cost. Fractional cost = your monthly fee × the number of months.

Where the default numbers come from

Salary: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean annual wage of $186,560 and a median of $166,910 for financial managers in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS groups CFOs with controllers, treasurers and finance directors in this category, so an experienced CFO often earns more than the average. Adjust the salary to match the person you'd actually hire.
Benefits and payroll taxes: BLS reports that benefits made up 31.5% of total compensation costs for full-time private-industry workers in June 2026 (Employer Costs for Employee Compensation). Benefits worth 31.5% of total pay equal roughly 46% on top of salary, which is the default here.
Fractional fees: examples come from Houston firms in our directory that publish their prices. Most firms quote by scope, so get a proposal for your situation. Our Houston cost guide explains what drives the price.

What the numbers don't capture

Fit, not just cost. If you have a full week of CFO work every week, a full-time hire is usually the right call even though it costs more. See when to hire a fractional CFO.
Bundled services. Some fractional packages include bookkeeping or controller work, which you'd otherwise pay for separately.
Speed. A fractional CFO can often start within weeks; a full-time search usually takes much longer.

This calculator gives estimates for planning only. It isn't financial or tax advice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a full-time CFO cost in Houston?

BLS reports a mean annual wage of $186,560 for financial managers in the Houston metro area (May 2025), before bonus, benefits and payroll taxes. Benefits alone made up 31.5% of total compensation costs for full-time private-industry workers in June 2026. Experienced CFOs often earn more than the financial-manager average.

When is a fractional CFO cheaper than a full-time CFO?

Whenever your total annual fractional fees are lower than the fully loaded cost of a full-time hire. The calculator shows the break-even monthly fee. In practice, fractional makes the most sense when you need senior help for part of the month rather than every day.